Affections
by Almighty J.Le
Summary: Though Lu Xun wants to live a single man, he is typically forced into marriage as soon as possible by his adoptive uncle. But because he's supposedly "busy" as an eighteen year-old strategist, Xun decides to make the risky choices. But when his "Miss Right" seems to appear in his life, he begins to reconsider whether he should get married or not. CHAPTER 5 IS UP! [LX&OC]
1. Rainy Day

**_(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dynasty Warriors because KOEI does, but I do own my story's plot.)_**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Rainy Day_

**I**t was a quiet, rainy day in the lands of Wu. Lu Xun had been gazing through his window for what seemed like ages inside his small bedroom. He watched the plentiful rain droplets pour from the sky as it then landed on the rich earth. There were so many of them descending that it was basically impossible to keep track of all of them. However, it was like the amount of women Xun had shamelessly rejected over marriage at the age of eighteen. _Eighteen_.

At this age, he knew that he was now a mature adult. He could've been doing bizarre things like trolling in the city with Gan Ning and his crew. And as much as he wanted to do those things with his friends, Xun knew his reputation was far more important than that. So in order to look like a good man, his adoptive uncle was desperately looking for a perfect "her" even though he wasn't certain that getting married at age of eighteen would solve anything since he already had problems of his own: entering the war as a young strategist.

Xun sighed in annoyance. If only his life was less complicated. . .

A bit starved from intense thinking, he arose from his chair, left his bedroom, and finally headed into the kitchen. When Xun entered the dining room, he noticed a few maids gossiping in a corner as he made his way towards the marble counter for a meat bun. They seemed to be talking about marriage, something he really didn't want to image at the moment. Well, maybe he wanted to eavesdrop about this a _LITTLE_ bit. . .

"Can you believe that young girls are already looking for husbands?!" he heard one of them exclaim. "I seriously wonder what's gotten into their puny skulls!"

_Yeah. I'd like to know, too._ Lu Xun sarcastically muttered inside his head while munching on his snack. _Women these days, ugh._

"They're probably looking for a wealthy, handsome man," another maid mumbled. "So I'm assuming that they're just desperate."

"But you know what?" the third maid started. "I heard that most of them are aiming for Lord Lu Xun. . ." The surprised teenager temporarily choked on his meat bun, but managed to maintain himself even though he lost the appetite for eating. He was more eager to jump in the conversation due to his "curiosity".

"Did you maids say my name?" he blurted. The servants quickly turned around to their young master.

"Erm, yes," one stammered. "But it wasn't for a question or anything."

"Well, then. . .uh, what for?" he continued, even though he wasn't oblivious to what was happening.

"Um. . . It was something about marriage, that's all."

Lu Xun gulped. What did those female outsiders want from him? Didn't they already know that he wasn't interested? He had also really nothing but an abode he lived in with his family and maids, who were like siblings to him. And as much as his family was wealthy and all, Xun still didn't have as much cash to provide for a new kin. So what would the women be looking in him for?

"Actually, we can finish this conversation later," he quickly finished off. More like never finish it. . . Lu Xun bowed to the three servants and then frantically scurried off to his room. When he entered, he found himself lying on the bed in frustration.

"Why me?" he muttered angrily before sighing. Xun then gently closed his eyes.

_Let's just hope that the women will find someone else_, he said in his mind. _Hopefully_.

* * *

**_The chapter was probably short and boring, but maybe I'll try to make the next one more entertaining or something. Anyways, please review this chapter._**

**_And thanks for reading! ^_^_**

**_P.S. I will edit/look over this chapter for errors when I have time._**


	2. Feeling Troubled

_**A/N: Here's another chapter! Enjoy~ :)**_  
_**(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dynasty Warriors, KOEI does. But I do own my plot.)**_

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Feeling Troubled_

_First day of winter._

That was what Lu Xun knew the minute he took a step out from his house. Tiny flurries of snow descended from the sky, landing on the ground. It was like the raindrops that came the day before, but the snowflakes actually remained put. Xun smiled at the sight of snow. _Long time no see, winter._

He reminisced the time he first saw it snow. He and Lu Jun had rushed outside to admire the snowflakes together. And it was a marvelous sight for both of them. Unfortunately, the vision of them together was soon shattered upon hearing the death of his father when Xun was a young child. But he decided to save it in memory of deceased Jun since he really had no other happy memories with his beloved dead parents. Or just parent.

But now he only had his father's cousin, Lu Kang, (whom Xun calls "uncle"). Lu Xun didn't hate him or anything, but he sure didn't favor him that much, either.

The sullen teenager finally jumped out of his daze when he heard his adoptive 'uncle', Lu Kang, open the door from behind. Xun quickly turned around and bowed.

"Good morning," Lu Xun greeted as Kang shut the door.

"Morning, Xun," his 'uncle' replied. "What brings you up this early, hm?"

"Training. What about you?"

Lu Kang chuckled. "The usual routine. Working out and then eating some noodles."

"Oh, I see. Well, I must get going. See you later."

Just when Xun was about to leave, he felt his uncle's hand grip his wrist.

"W-wait! I still need to ask you something."

As much as he was disgusted by his uncle's rude action, Xun turned around in response.

"Yes, sir?" Lu Xun asked through his gritted teeth.

"Well, um. . . are you still finding some of the wom-"

"-I'm afraid that he still has training to do, Mr. Kang." A tall, familiar pirate-like figure emerged from the dark evergreen trees. It revealed Gan Ning. Upon realization, Lu Xun wanted to face-palm himself. _What the heck is he doing?! _he angrily swore in his head.

"Excuse me?" responded an exasperated Lu Kang. "Who do you think you are to interrupt my conversation?"

"I just happen to interrupt whenever I feel like it, old man, " Gan Ning said casually. "And if you don't mind, I'll be escorting this little Xun to training now. See you later, maybe. Or not." Ning roughly clutched onto Xun's arm and began dragging him away from Lu Kang, who was greatly surprised by his behavior.

When the two finally arrived at the camp several minutes later, Lu Xun abruptly shoved Ning's arm.

"Ning, what were you doing back there?!" he demanded angrily.

Gan Ning gave him a smug grin. "I was being awesome, man. Just be happy that I managed to save your butt in time, okay?"

"What? You only put me into more trouble, you fiend."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can thank me later. Or you can owe me, if that's what I'm hearing!" Ning attempted to give him a playful punch, but Xun evaded it.

"Not in the mood, Ning."

"What was that guy talking about, anyway?" Gan Ning interjected.

"Something."

"Something like what, Xun?"

"It's just stuff far beyond too complicated for you to understand."

". . . What? Sorry, I wasn't listening because you were being too 'LO-GEE-KUHL.'"

Lu Xun sighed. As much as he wanted to punch Ning in the face for enunciating 'logical' incorrectly, he didn't want to get in a fight at the moment.

"Whatever. Let's just get to training with the others, okay?"

"Okay then, I guess."

* * *

Feeling fatigued from intense training with the troops, all the generals and officers decided to return home. . . after they had supper at the noodle house in Jiangdong.

"This calls for the wine-drinking contest!" Huang Gai and others cried in delight as they packed up their weapons and training equipment.

Lu Xun had finished packing the earliest among the others, mainly because he had only brought his twin sabers alongside a bow with some arrows. He quickly gathered his equipment and began walking away from the group until he was stopped by Sun Quan.

"Where are you going, Xun? You still have a party to attend to," Quan said. Lu Xun simply shrugged.

"Guess I'm not in the mood tonight, Lord Quan," he replied. Xun suddenly heard Sun Shang Xiang run at him. He quickly turned around, only to be tackled onto the floor.

"Xun, don't be a party pooper! You HAVE to come!" she shrieked loudly that his eardrums might've exploded.

"Sorry, princess. . . Maybe next time?"

"Ugh, whatever. I guess we're gonna have to bring you by force."

"Like I said before-wait, WHAT?"

And before he knew it was coming, Xun was carried off into the direction of Jiangdong.

* * *

**_Now, THAT was probably a better chapter the previous one. Hopefully, the next chapter should be up soon. Maybe. Till then. . . HAPPY 2014! (Unless you're reading this somewhere else in the future, um. . . Happy Dynasty Warriors Day?)_**


	3. Confession

**_A/N: Hello, readers! I just wanted to say that I may add some random things in the story later on, that may not be historically accurate. But it IS a fanfic, right? However, I won't add anything too futuristic like phones and cars, basically anything that involves the 21st Century. Well, anyway, don't forget to R&R! Thanks~_**

**_(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dynasty Warriors, KOEI does. But I do own my plot.)_**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Confession_

The starry night sky was a glorious sight to see for Lu Xun as he quietly sat in the horse carriage with Sun Quan and Sun Quan's younger sister Sun Shang Xiang. He had never seen anything more marvelous during the night since he usually slept early when occupied in his home. As Xun was stargazing, he heard Shang Xiang questioning her older brother. "Are we there yet? At least tell me we're almost there so I don't lose patience."

"Shang Xiang, we still have several more minutes to go," Quan said. "But it won't be long until we're at the the famous noodle-house!" The younger sibling groaned in annoyance.

"Ugh, can't this carriage go any faster?"

"Maybe if we had more horses, yes. Or if we chose to lighten the load, also yes."

"How much longer do I have to wait?"

"I dunno."

"Will we get there in time?"

"At this rate, possibly."

"Are we there now?"

"If you stopped asking me ridiculous questions, then I'll consider saying 'yes'."

Lu Xun turned his head in time to see Shang stick out her tongue at her brother. He then quietly snickered at Quan's astonished face.

"Shang Xiang, that was NOT very polite!" Quan scolded at his amused younger sister. "I demand you to apologize this instant!"

"Not until you apologize for calling my questions 'ridiculous'," she snapped back. Lu Xun sighed. Why did he have to come to this party? There was already drama between the siblings that attempted to persuade him to go, even though he was typically forced to.

"Enough is ENOUGH!" someone had shouted. The three looked out the window of the carriage, only to find their eldest brother Sun Ce on a horse.

"I can literally hear you guys fighting like a mile away," Ce told his younger siblings.

"It's Quan's fault for calling my questions ridiculous," Shang piped up.

"Well, you kept being annoying by asking me too many questions," Quan declared.

"Nuh-uh!"

Just when the two were about to start bickering again, Xun had spotted a beautifully lit city ahead. He quickly pushed them aside.

"I-it's Jiangdong! Look!"

The three admired the sight until Sun Ce rode his horse up ahead of the carriage.

"Meet you guys at the noodle house! For now, see ya!" Ce and his horse swiftly went headed towards the sea of buildings in the distance.

"What? We must hurry!" Sun Shang Xiang exclaimed. "Someone, tell the driver to hurry the pace up!"

The horse carriage then rushed off into the distance.

* * *

Before long, Lu Xun, Shang Xiang and Sun Quan stood inside the enormous noodle house parlor. There were many tables with excited peasants and there were. . . well, already-drunken warriors and generals.

Xun sighed to himself just when Shang Xiang seized his right arm.

"Follow me," she hissed to him among the noisy party. He nodded and ran off to Sun Shang Xiang, who led them both outside to an dark alleyway. She abruptly stopped at the dark corner and turned around, facing Xun.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded, though the teenage boy was oblivious to what she was speaking about.

"Tell you about what?" he asked. In response, he heard a phony laughter from the girl.

"HAHAHA, don't act so stupid," she said angrily. Xun then cocked his eyebrow.

"I'm serious. What are you talking about and why did you bring me here, anyway?"

"I dunno, pretty boy, isn't it obvious enough?"

"About what?"

". . . Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?" Shang blurted. Xun looked away for a bit distressed for a moment, albeit the dark shaded most of his facial expressions to be seen. _How had she figured out already?_ He thought in his head. He was most certain that the rumor had spread faster because of his father's cousin, Lu Kang. But Xun was not in the mood for talking about marriage.

"Sorry, Xiang, but I'd prefer to change the subject. How about we go attend the party?" he quickly interjected, hoping to move on. But Shang Xiang didn't seem to budge from her position. Instead, she remained still.

"I refuse to move on. Tell me now, Xun. Tell me."

"Tell you about what?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?"

_Marriage_. The word disgusted him, as he heard it very often. And worse enough, he was involved in it. And as much as he desired to rid of the word, Xun reluctantly replied coldly.

"Because I didn't want to. Now go back to the party or get lost." Lost in his thoughts, Xun started heading towards the back door of the noodle house. He was more than relieved to leave the situation behind. But before he could take a step in the restaurant, he heard a little muttering from Sun Shang Xiang.

". . . love you."

Lu Xun turned around, not sure if he had heard correctly.

"Excuse me?"

"Er. . . N-nothing. Just go on."

He shrugged and went back inside with the beautiful tomboy from behind. When the couple arrived at the parlor, Shang Xiang finally departed towards a group of men with wine jugs while Xun speechlessly settled himself at a table with Gan Ning and Ling Tong, the two weirdos who looked slightly high from alcohol.

"Hey. . . Xun!" the intoxicated pirate mumbled as Tong hit him up with a shot of beer. "How're yeh doing, eh?" Ning rapidly slurped up his cup in a matter of seconds, before banging his cup on the table loudly. "Yo, waitress, I need more beer!" he sluggishly demanded before passing out. Xun watched Ling Tong randomly pour alcohol on his mate's head while laughing. _An obvious sign that these ding-dongs are drunk! _the conscience in Lu Xun's head noted. And oddly enough, he completely agreed with his inner voice.

"Hehe, Ning's showering," Tong snickered before slowly collapsing head first with the wet surface of the table. When the waitress came to their table a couple seconds later, only to find that the two had lost consciousness, Xun wanted to epic facepalm himself. _Idiots_, he thought in his head angrily. He quickly scrambled off his seat and bowed to the waitress on his knees.

"Hello, I am Lu Xun, a young strategist of Wu," he greeted. "I apologize for letting these two annoying goons waste your time to get here. If you want, I can volunteer to pay double for their expenses."

The girl giggled. "It is alright. No need for you to pay extra. Besides, it is my job to do these kind of things. I thank your generosity though, sir."

"W-what? Er, thank you. It has been an honor to meet-" he looked up at the girl's face, feeling his heart dangerously melt as well as being mesmerized for a second. "-a delightful and beautiful woman like you." Xun finished off, waking up from his wandering mind. He promptly stood up and eagerly shook the women's hand.

"May I ask how old you are? I am eighteen," he said.

"I am almost eighteen," she replied, accepting the friendly gesture. "I still have a couple more weeks until I turn into an adult." Her smile made Xun redden harder. What was this feeling? The acceptance of love. . . already? He hadn't realized how much he regretted the feeling of love, even though it felt so nice and warm.

Xun quickly gazed away from the beauty's deep chestnut brown orbs. He felt that he was giving himself off a little too easily so he decided to avoid long contact with her eyes and her long, black silky, waist-length hair in order to look confident.

"Ahem," he coughed as the waitress leaned over the table to grab the empty shot glasses that had been left behind. "Do you necessarily like this job?"

"Um, kind of," the girl replied, though a bit distracted. "Is your job as a strategist. . . fun?"

"F-fun? Not really. All I ever do is plan out things for the army. But I'm not entirely a strategist yet. I mean, I'm still receiving lessons from Master Zhou Yu."

"Well, I'm assuming we're both just too busy to have peaceful lives."

"Yeah," he said. "I guess."

The girl giggled and finally gathered the last remains of the table. "I better be working. See you later, maybe?"

Lu Xun nodded his head, even though he wasn't certain. Just as the girl left his sight, he turned around, only to find Gan Ning awake.

"Ooh, little strategist's in love!" Ning said mockingly, while drawing a heart with his fingers. Xun frowned and attempted to walk away from the situation.

"Be quiet."

"Hehe, I knew this day would come."

"Shut it."

"What's that I hear? I think lil Xunnie-"

"_SILENCE!_"

* * *

**_Well, that was something, alright. But I don't think it was exactly the best ending, as it just randomly stopped. But hey, you got a nice, long-ish chapter. Well, kind of long. Anyway, the next chapter shall be uploaded soon, probably by next month or something. But till then, WRITE A REVIEW! :D_**


	4. A Coincidence

**_A/N: Hello, readers! This chapter 4 of Affections of I've been wanting to post up earlier, though the site was kind of being a butt for being down lately. But I'm glad it's up. . . FOR NOW. Anyway, enjoy~_**

**_(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dynasty Warriors, KOEI does.)_**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_A Coincidence _

By the time he had arrived in the front of his home, Lu Xun was a mess. But the nonetheless, he entered inside only to be caught by his seemingly half-awake uncle, who was dangerously standing on the staircase with his eyes barely open. Fortunately, he safely made his way down the marble stairs.

"Well, look at what we have here," Kang said, before yawning and rubbing eyes. "It's a bit late, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Xun responded curtly. Just as he was about to leave, his Lu Kang followed up with another question.

"How was your day at the party? You oddly smell of alcohol."

"What party?" Xun lied, though he knew his uncle was thinking that he was up to something.

"Well, whatever you've been doing, I expect you to be on your best. Oh, and by the way, go clean yourself up, hm? You look like you've been trampled by horses in a puddle of mud. I can go ask the maids to fetch you a bathtub full of water, if you want."

"No thank you, that will not will not be necessary." Xun bowed and resumed into the direction he was heading before being interrupted. As he made his way there, he quickly pondered about the offer of getting the bathtub prepared since he _was_ disheveled and dirtied because of that party he was "invited" to. He had to take care of Gan Ning and Ling Tong since they had slightly overdosed on wine and went out of control. But the thought then ceased when Lu Xun planted himself on his bed he had been longing to sleep on.

It was so comfortable like how it was to be around that girl. . . _Ah, such good memories_, the subconscious in his head said. Wait a minute. . . WHAT? He shook his head disbelief. Was he actually thinking about her now? _I must be going crazy_. Xun buried his head in his pillow although the thought of her kept appearing. That smile that drove him crazy. . . Her feminine features that made her appear cute. . . So dreamy, he admitted. _UGH, I'm thinking about her again, aren't I? Is this actually true love?_ He smiled to himself in the darkness while enjoying the nice feeling under his covers. _Maybe I'll actually be obliging to marry someone this time. _

Without further ado, he finally went to sleep without anymore interruptions of his random thoughts even he still wore the smile throughout the night.

* * *

"YO, LU XUN! WAKE UP! You'll be running late!"

The noise of bellowing from the other side of the house that echoed to his room had immediately caught Lu Xun's attention. _Oh, shoot._ He quickly jumped out of bed, headed to bathroom for a quick wash, threw some regular training clothes on and rushed out of the house, barefoot. The second he saw his mentor, he quickly ran up to him bowed.

"My apologies for being late today, Master Yu," Xun pardoned. "I had slept in and didn't realize that-"

"It's fine, young scholar," Zhou Yu said casually. "Almost everyone will experience those days, but I ask you to come more prepared next time."

"Thank you, sir." Xun bowed again. "I am more prepared than ever."

"If you don't mind, may I ask you to get your shoes? Your feet will be gone by the time we make it to the library if you go barefoot." The young strategist slowly lowered his head only to realize that he was indeed shoeless.

"Oh, dear," he mumbled to himself. Oh, how clumsy he was this morning! First he was late and now he even forgot to put on shoes. He was better off feet-less if he wasn't reminded.

"Hurry, now. We have tight schedule."

"Ah, that's right! I shall return in half a minute. Apologies, once again!" Lu Xun ran back to his abode to fetch his shoes.

* * *

Between the two, the walk in the town of Jiangdong was silent and awkward. However, the community was the complete opposite. It was loud and welcoming while there were lots of merchants and villagers roaming around.

"It's cramped today," Xun managed to say, as the two struggled to get to the other side of the city.

"Cramped indeed," Zhou Yu said frankly while swerving towards the side to evade the little children who had been messing around with each other.

As Xun did so with Yu, he had caught a glimpse of a familiar face. Unfortunately, the unidentified face turned away and walked into building. However, he assumed the building was also the place that Zhou Yu had planned for them to go inside, since he saw some bookshelves before the door had closed for the person.

"Well, we're nearly there," Yu finally announced, in a relieved tone. After a couple minutes or so, two had made it to the building Xun had been hoping for. The loudness of the people ceased in the area they stood at.

"This is the place, Master Yu?" Lu Xun asked. Yu simply nods.

"Shall we head inside?"

The pair walked inside the silent library. The place was small itself as there were only a couple pieces of furniture as well as small shelves with hardly any books.

"Um, Master Yu," Xun whispered under his breath.

"Yes?" he responded, as he attracted some attention from people.

"How am I suppose to study here when there are barely any parchments to study from?"

"I have brought the scrolls, so don't worry."

"Ah, I see. . ."

The teacher and pupil settled at a desk. Zhou Yu pulled out a scroll and then sprawled it across on the table, revealing many of its contents.

"Okay, so our first lesson on 'Strategies'. . ."

* * *

Xun found himself laying his head on his desk after a couple hours of intense studying. Oh, how he hated it whenever Zhou Yu had to to retreat to the Jianye Palace for urgent matters. It always delayed his time of studying, which frustrated him since he wanted to be a strategist like Yu. And he didn't have much free-time since he also had to train with the army. But the only thing he had done was pity himself on his outrageously complicated life he had created.

Xun sighed and continued to sit still on the chair, while pondering about his life. Suddenly, he felt a poke on his back and turned around to only find the girl he had met the night before. She was smiling at him in her casual-looking outfit.

"Hi! What a coincidence to find you here," she greeted. Her happiness seemed to lessen the burden in Xun.

"Um, yeah. Want to take. . . a seat?" Xun pulled out a chair and the girl happily settled onto it.

"I don't think I introduced myself yet," the girl said. "My name is Huang Mei."

And it surprised that Lu Xun didn't even have to ask for her name before. Well, now that he had received it, it was his turn to return the favor.

"Well, I am Lu Xun," he told her. For the next couple of minutes, they had been talking about their day so far and relationships. Listening to Mei was actually pretty interesting to him, as he did not seem to get the slightest bit bored. Usually, when he was listening to conversations from other the girls, he would die of boredom. But this was totally different as he actually taking part in it.

Abruptly, Mei got up from her chair and scurried towards the door.

"Um, I kind of forgot I had an appointment," she quickly said. "Sorry, for leaving without notice. I hope we shall meet again." Xun watched the girl run off, with her flowing black hair.

I also hope we meet again too.

* * *

**_Well, that's all for chapter 4. Also, Valentine's Day is coming up, so I may plan on making another chapter just because. It's not going to be a special chapter, though. And now that I think of it, I actually want to add a slight twist to the story. . . So there may be surprise later on (it's probably not going to be a super happy twist though). Anyway, see you guys soon. Reviews are appreciated, not required. Because I'm not evil. Maybe._**

**_Also, if you haven't noticed, I happen to skip some scenes between some periods. I hope you don't mind, though using it excessively may cause some confusion within the plot. I just happen to be lazy to write the longer scenes since I want chapters posted up in order to keep readers "entertained". Once again, my apologies for being lazy._**


	5. The Real Truth

**A/N: Here it is again! Another chapter dedicated for you readers. Weird twists are included in this chapter. But anyway, enjoy~**

**(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Dynasty Warriors, KOEI rightfully does. But you know. . . I DO happen to own the plot.)**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_The Real Truth_

_I also hope we meet again, too._

Lu Xun watched Mei run off into the distance, with her long black hair flowing from behind, like calm waves of the sea. So spectacular. It was so admirable that he forgot how long was gaping in the solid position he was in. But of course, he finally snapped out of his daze and continued his painful studies.

Xun focused at the characters of the scroll intensely, reading the sentences carefully to himself. _Oh right! I must not miss a SINGLE important thing!_ he said in his mind. For awhile, he had been re-reading the same lines over and over, as his eyes began to tire. But Xun did not seem to give in to the pain as he did what his conscious told him to do: _keep reading you'll never be successful!_ And so, he resumed his studying, as much as it killed him.

* * *

"Xun!"

Whether he was hearing things or not, Lu Xun kept his eyes shut as he was too fatigued from doing anything else. He was truly exhausted, even though he encouraged himself to read more. However. . . _WHAM_! Xun got a hit to the head, which immediately caused him to wake up.

"OW!" he cried while opening his eyes, only to find Shang Xiang in front of his face. Xun sighed, as he was suddenly reminded of the last time he saw her. . . At the party. It wasn't the most pleasant situation at the time, as they had gotten into a verbal fight. But the look on the girl's face didn't seem to express anything about it, since she still had that up-beat nature, probably representing that she had gotten over it.

Well, whatever what she was going to say, he snapped at her curtly, obviously irritated that he was interrupted in his sleep, "What do you want? I'm busy."

"Geez, Xun, you don't have to be so mean about it," Shang Xiang remarked in a playful tone. Xun watched Shang stick out her tongue afterwards. "I only came by just to drop in."

Xun sighed again. "And you just coincidentally happened to find me here, hm? How wonderful." He added some sarcasm at the end.

"Not really, I asked Quan where you were and he told me that you were at the library with Zhou Yu, who happens to be at a meeting right now. So yeah. Oh, and aren't you proud that I found you here by guessing? I mean, I really dunno how to get around here, and I go to this city often. . ."

"Yeah, whatever. Don't you have somewhere to be? Like at the army camp for training?" Oh, how he'd like for her to leave already. . .

"Nah, I'm taking a break for today. Say, how about we go and eat? I mean, I _did_ travel all the way here without lunch. I deserve to reward myself."

"And what about _me_? I had to study here all day long."

Sun Shang Xiang chuckled. "Don't be so silly, I'm also going to bribe you."

Although he still "wanted" to study, Lu Xun decided that he needed a break, too. Maybe this should relieve all the stress. Xun deftly rolled up his scrolls and gently placed them in his bag. Shang Xiang quickly reached out her arm and clutched his wrist, with a giant grin on her face.

"I can't wait to go!" she jubilantly said. "I AM SO HUNGRY!"

_Oh god_, Xun thought as he was being dragged away once again. _Well, I'm screwed._

The two quietly strolled down a path with a starry, night sky that hovered above their heads. Shang Xiang had been grasping Xun's hand for awhile now, or so he assumed. _Will this lady ever get her hands off of me?_ He thought in his head as the two ran into a meat-bun stand.

"Ooh! We should get meat buns!" Shang Xiang suggested. Much to the young strategist's annoyance of eating them very often, he shrugged.

"Why not?" he responded. Xun undoubtly wanted to get out of the situation as soon as possible, however he ended up watching the girl eyeball at the steaming buns for a moment.

"Which one should I get? This one or that one?"

Xun mentally facepalmed himself. He knew he shouldn't have followed her. . . again.

"Let's just go," Xun quickly said. "The seller's not even here. It'd be just wrong to steal."

Sun Shang Xiang pouted. "Well, that's not fair. I need to eat to something. . ." She gazed off for a couple of seconds and finally jumped up afterwards with beaming eyes.

"How about we go to that Noodle House? We never got to try their noodles the last time we were there."

He remembered the last time he was there. It was a nightmare. He had to "take care" of Gan Ning and Ling Tong and some other officers. The hard part of it was the fact that they were intoxicated by the alcohol. Good thing that he wasn't drinking, though his uncle suspected of him doing so by the time he got back to his home.

Another good thing that happened there was when he met that beautiful maiden Mei Huang. Oh, how he'd like to see her again, like usual. So if he agreed to go, would he meet her there? He'd also like to confess that he had feelings. . . although, he never done such a thing before. Without realizing, Lu Xun nodded. Shang Xiang pushed her fist in the air in triumph.

"Alrighty! I can't wait!" She seized his arm again. "Hold on tight!"

* * *

Lu Xun could literally tell that the tomboyish girl on the other side of the table was excitedly jumping on her seat.

"Oh, boy. . . I can already smell food being served to us!" Sun Shang Xiang grinned happily at him and grabbed her chopsticks. "Thanks for sharing the moment with me, _Boyan_."

It was the first time he heard her say his courtesy name. And oddly enough, she was one of the females to say it, though he preferred his regular name. But why would she say it in the first place? Whatever she said it for, he kind of appreciated the fact that she was seeing him as a mature adult now. Now it was his turn to return the favor.

"No problem, _PRINCESS_."

. . . He received a brutal punch to the face as a result.

"OW!"

"Served you right, little boy," Shang Xiang sneered. A server finally arrived at the table with two medium meat buns.

"The cooks, um, kind of ran out of everything else. . ." the peasant mumbled in shame. "We only had these meat buns left, but anyway please enjoy and many dear apologies. . ." He bowed and scurried off into the kitchen with his tray. Xun looked at the bun in disappointment, catching Shang Xiang's attention.

"Hey, what's the matter, Xun?" she asked. He groaned in a disappointment.

"It's always the meat buns, Shang," Xun grumbled. He yearned for something else other than the bun. It was too common as he ate it often. The taste of it everywhere would be very similar to every other place, which didn't make it so unique for him whatsoever, no matter what different fillings the person had used. Too plain. Very ordinary. Lu Xun grimaced at the sight of it. He even had it at his home as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Like he noted before, it was very common.

Shang Xiang rolled her eyes. "Just eat it. I don't want you starving by the time I escort you home." She dug in afterwards, while Xun blankly stared at his plate.

"I've lost my appetite. You can continue."

He expected her to resume, but instead she abruptly dropped her food on the plate. She then pulled him outside the restaurant, into the dark alley they were once at before. There, she shoved Xun to the wall and then slapped him across the face.

"What is wrong with you, huh?" she inquired bitterly. "I just want to have _one_ peaceful lunch without any problems, but I don't appreciate the way you're acting. It's childish. So please, if you wouldn't mind, I ask you to remain positive." Without any force, Xun managed to slide out of her grip.

"Look, I also don't want to get into any trouble, but I'm just not in mood to eat anything."

"Are you serious? I just wanted us to spend our last times together as friends."

"What are you talking about? Are you saying you want to end our friendship here, Shang Xiang?" Xun was truly confused. Ending the friendship already? He had barely been able to contact her ever since the fight and now this happened. . . He already felt guilty.

"N-no! Didn't you know? I'm getting married soon. That means. . ." She paused for a moment, but reluctantly continued. ". . . I won't have much time to spend with you as I get prepared for the wedding preparations." She immediately crumpled to the floor and started sobbing, a sight that he never had seen before. Xun attempted to reach down and comfort her, but she had swiftly recovered and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, though it was hardly visible to see her tearstained face in the dark.

". . . But anyway, I ask you to do me the honors and have a final lunch with me. As a friend, that is. Please?" Shang Xiang begged. Xun bowed at her request.

"Count on me."

A weak smile had formed on her lips. "Thank you, Xun."

"Shall we go eat now? I shall obey!"

* * *

"That was fun! I wish we could do things like that more often. . ." Sun Shang Xiang said as the two walked down the gravel path towards Xun's home together. It was late at night like usual, though it did not seem the pair were fatigued yet.

At the broken fences, the two began to depart. "Well, I better get going, hm? See you later." She started heading back, though Xun was fast enough to grab hold of her wrists in time. Shang Xiang was a little surprised as she did a small a jump in astonishment. But nonetheless, she listened of what he had to say.

"About the last time we were at the noodle house," he started, "you happened to say something about liking someone. By any chance, did that happen to be. . . _me_?" He paused as the feminine tomboy turned around and smiled at him.

"I'm afraid that's for _you_ to figure out." Shang Xiang chuckled a little. "But you know, I did happen to find someone else along the journey of my life. . . So even if I did, I got over it."

"I see." He looked away for a moment. So I guess she did like me, he said in his head. Well, no need or interfere in her new relationship now. But who did she-

". . . Like I mentioned before, I have to get going. Farewell, _Boyan_."

Xun watched her leave before his eyes. A wonderful woman she was, though he was pretty sure he got friend-zoned in the end. Lu Xun sighed and headed back into his house. So he was actually loved. . .

* * *

**_Congratulations, you have reached the end of Chapter 5! Okay, I dunno if we should we celebrating or not, but hey, you just read through a crapload of useless information (unless you SKIPPED to here). _**

**_But anyway, Chapter 6 may be coming soon, I dunno. I am NOT a psychic, so there may be a chance this story will be on a hiatus due to writer's block or busy schedule. However, I feel as though I don't like keeping people waiting, I'll try to see what I can accomplish. I just hate school, OKAY?! (Actually, I hate homework in general).  
Well, bye! ;( . . . I don't want to leave yet. Meh._**


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